Partners in Crime
by Toushi
Summary: be-the-peaf; Prompt #8 - AU - Even after nearly six years as her partner in crime, she's never been one to tell him about their jobs, only that they have them. / Thief!Makorra.


**Title: **Partners in Crime  
**Summary: **[AU - Even after nearly six years as her partner in crime, she's never been one to tell him about their jobs, only that they have them. Thief!Makorra.]  
**Word Count: **988

**Note:** Korra is not the Avatar in this fic. Just a waterbender.

**-.-  
**

**be-the-peaf****·** Prompt 008 – _Thieves in the Night_

_Master Thief Korra just picked the wrong place (or person) to rob._

-.-

**-Partners in Crime-  
-8/10/12-**

-.-

_What's taking her so long? _

Mako shifts in his position, keeping an eye on the warehouse. Korra went in to get something, what it was, he doesn't know. Even after nearly six years as her partner in crime, she's never been one to tell him about their jobs, only that they have them.

So she went in to get what they needed to complete this job, leaving him to stand guard duty. He sighs.

_Who needs a lookout anyway? This place is deserted-_

The sudden chill of icy metal at his neck makes him freeze.

"Well, what do we have here?" a gravelly voice says from behind. "A thief?"

He recognizes the man speaking.

"Shady Shin," Mako says, staring straight ahead. "I didn't know the Triads did burglary."

Shin laughs and removes the icy crowbar from his neck. He circles Mako as two other members of the Triads come up from behind, holding flames to his back. Shin waves some of the other men into the warehouse and leans in, examining his face.

"Well what do ya know? Hey everyone, it's Mako!" Shin shouts, receiving a large amount of laughter from behind him. "How long has it been? Two, three years?"

"Try five. And a half." Mako says between his teeth. Shin claps.

"Very impressive. So what brings you back here for?" he says, smiling.

"No, wait. Don't answer that." He says, looking toward the warehouse. "So has she found it yet?"

"Who?" Mako asks.

"The girl you were with, your partner!" Shin laughs, and takes Mako's chin in his hands, gripping it so tight, he can't move.

"I don't have a partner." Mako says, fighting against Shin's grip and he says, slowly: "I work alone."

"Oh, that so?" He says, standing up to face the warehouse as the men he sent inside come out carrying a crate. Undoubtly full of the parts Korra went in to get. "Cause we've been watching you, ya'know. Ever since you started stalking out this place..."

Mako's eyes wide. He stares at Shin.

Shin looks to the firebenders behind Mako and snaps his fingers.

"Torch it."

"Wait, Shin!" Mako shouts. "You got what you came for, there's no-"

The crowbar dives into his gut and he falls into the dirt, clutching his stomach. Shin places the lip of the bar under Mako's face, tilting his head up to face him. The firebenders approach the building and pull out two small round devices. Mako recognizes them right away: cherry bombs. He struggles, but the other men hold him down. The firebenders light the fuses on the bombs and throw them into the building.

"Too bad about the girl, she was pretty cute." Shin says, looking down at Mako. He watches the crowbar rise above his head, sees the gleam of madness in Shin's eyes-

The he feels the hit of the metal. The ice.

Then he falls to the ground, slipping away into darkness.

-.-

He wakes to the searing wail of sirens and the smell of smoke. There a pounding in his ears, blood on his face and he can't see right from where Shin hit him with the bar. He fight through the pain, ignores it and runs, half-stumbles forward, to the smoke, flames and broken glass.

_Korra. _He can't lose her. Not another partner, a friend.

He enters the building, flames roaring upwards, ash falling around him. Mako grits his teeth and stares through the haze. Searching for her. For anybody. A wooden beam falls from above and he dives to the ember covered floor, choking on dust and ash.

He lifts his head, and sees her. Collapsed underneath a burning beam of wood.

"Korra!" he shouts, running to her side. She's lying on the floor, hair cut from its normal bands, strewn around her head. She not moving, and Mako feels like a rock was dropped into his stomach.

"Korra!" he says again, shaking her shoulder. She winces and opens her eyes.

"Mako? What's-" she cuts off and her hand shoots down her body. It's only then that he notices that the beam she's underneath has landed on her leg. It's a mess; blood and embers, splinters of charred wood embedded around her thigh. Korra reaches down to touch it, but he grabs her hand.

"Don't." he says, "Just hold on. I'll get you out of here."

He stands back and takes a few, slow breaths. Reducing the fire on the beam, he walks forward and places the beam under his back, trying to lift it enough so she can get free. He tries, again and again.

_It's too heavy. _

The fire grows around them.

"Mako," she says, trying to drag herself out while he lifts. Another beam falls. "It's no use."

"Don't say that. Everything will be alright." He says, pushing harder. "I'm not letting you go. We're partners, remember?"

She sighs, and somewhere between the red hot blaze around them, he thinks he might see her smile. He lifts up, his feet sliding on the ash covered floor. Korra pulls, wincing through the pain, and her leg moves.

"Almost. Just a little further." She says.

He gives the beam one final push and it comes crashing down behind him. He drags her out of the rubble and carries her, breaking through a window and into the night. The heat of flames licking at his feet.

He smiles, just a bit.

_We made it._

He looks down to Korra.

"You gonna be okay?" he asks, looking at her leg.

"Yeah," she breathes, tired from the pain. "I'll manage."

"Good," he says. "That's twice you owe me now. For saving your life."

"Oh really?" she grins. "What about that time I saved your skin at the Serpent's Pass? Doesn't that count?"

"You wish." He looks ahead, wondering where they'll go from here. "Come on; let's find someone to fix your legs up."

_Into the night they go._

**:Fin:**

_This one was a very quick write. Sorry for the vagueness. I was going to do something really long, but I couldn't finish it in time. =.= I like the two of them in this situation, I might have to write more of this._


End file.
